Drivers could be charged £20 a week to park at Bristol city centre offices

People could be charged £20 a week to park at their offices in Bristol city centre.

The workplace levy would aim to cut congestion and air pollution while raising £10million a year to improve public transport options in the city.

Bristol City Council says the levy would affect roughly 9,000 people who currently park at their workplace for free.

Rather than charge the individual, the council would bill every business which currently offers free parking for staff. It would then be up to the business as to whether they pass that charge onto employees or not.

Exceptions may be made for disabled people who rely on private cars, hospital workers and other groups.

But the levy will not be introduced quickly. It is expected to take about three years to bring in, with councillors set to approve the levy at a meeting on 12 September.

A committee report says: “The parking places may have been free of charge to the employees for some time previously. The aim is also to encourage employers to manage the number of free workplace parking places that they provide, while promoting the use of sustainable transport.

“The introduction of a levy has other benefits associated with the reduction in car use and increase in alternative modes such as walking, cycling and public transport, such as improvements to health and the environment. Essentially, workplaces with parking places would face an annual charge per parking place and the employer would decide whether to pass that compulsory charge onto the employee or not.”

A workplace parking levy was included in the Green Party’s manifesto ahead of the local elections in May this year. A similar charge was rolled out in Nottingham in 2012, which has since raised £83million to be spent on upgrading public transport such as the city’s tram network.

According to the report, multi-storey car parks owned by the council have annual season tickets costing between £54 and £72 a week. The cost of an annual First Bus Bristol Zone pass is £841, or £16 per week.

Credit: Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service